Staunton figures

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Original design of the Staunton figures, from left to right: pawn , rook , knight , bishop , queen , king
Modern Staunton figures

The Staunton pieces are chess pieces of a certain shape named after the British chess master Howard Staunton . They were introduced in 1849 and later developed into the standard type, the use of which is recommended by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) for tournament matches.

Emergence

The set of figures was designed by the Englishman Nathaniel Cook , a friend of Staunton's. According to another theory, the original design was by Cook's brother-in-law, the artisan John Jaques. In any case, Cook had the design registered on March 1, 1849. The design was recognized by Staunton in The Illustrated London News .

Three years later, the set of figures was named after the famous chess master. This served on the one hand for advertising purposes, on the other hand, imitators were to be deterred by a certificate of authenticity signed by Staunton, for which he was involved in the turnover. The Staunton figures quickly became popular because of their elegant, classicistic shape. The design of the Springer heads was apparently based on models of the ancient Greek Elgin Marbles .

Development to the standard form

In the period that followed, they developed into the standard set of figures that is predominant worldwide today. Other historical figure sets have largely been suppressed. This fate also overtook the federal form figures developed in the 1930s and then widespread in German chess for decades . Staunton figures are specially recommended for use in competitions held under the aegis of the World Chess Federation.

During the Second World War , the Jacques of London factory was bombed by the German Air Force . In the resulting fire, the original drawings and samples of the Staunton figures were destroyed.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Standards of Chess Equipment and tournament venue for FIDE Tournaments
  2. ^ The Staunton Pattern: A brief history of Traditional Chess Pieces

Web links

Commons : Staunton Figures  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files